by Lynn Hagen
Nicholas furrowed his brow in confusion as his hazel eyes stared up at Jason. “Did I mean what?”
“That you loved me?” Jason knew that words were spoken in the heat of passion that meant nothing when the clothes went back on, but if his mate didn’t mean it, he didn’t think he’d be able to handle that. Nicholas had come to mean the world to him, and he loved the man deeply.
“Yes.” Nicholas nodded as he blushed.
“I…I…I love you, too.” Jason clenched his fists as tears brimmed in his eyes. He felt weak and stupid for crying just because his mate said he loved him and meant it. Wiping them away, he turned his head toward the window, staring out into the night.
“Don’t, let me see all of you.” Nicholas turned his wolf’s head back. Jason had once again clenched his jaw, and he could tell his mate was fighting his emotions as he stared into Nicholas’s eyes.
Nicholas pulled his mate’s head down, giving him a soft kiss before clearing his throat, fighting back his own tears. “I need to stop at the hospital. Let them know I won’t be working there anymore, and my wallets in my locker.” Nicholas brushed the back of his hand over the moisture gathering in his eyes.
Jason nodded but said nothing. He helped Nicholas get dressed. Nicholas noticed that his wolf treated him like spun glass but said nothing about it. He had a feeling Jason needed that right now. Nicholas had to admit, in a small part of his soul, so did he.
Nicholas packed what he wanted to take, Jason helping him. He chuckled when Tank and George emerged, wearing big goofy grins on their faces.
“This all of it?” Tank asked as he carried boxes down to the truck. Nicholas nodded.
“Can I ask you something?” Nicholas turned to George.
“Sure.”
“Why do you wear a bottle of water in a gun holster? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” Nicholas handed his mate the last box as he shut all the lights off.
“I was attacked by a vampire. He damn near killed me. The myth about them changing you is false, but now my thirst is unquenched. I crave my meat bloodier, too. Tank made this for me, so my hands are free.” George pointed to the holster and looked up at his mate with such awe in his eyes that Nicholas had to look away.
“So we have wolves, tiger, and now vampires. I really need that CAT scan.” Nicholas shook his head as Jason wrapped him in his arms, kissing him on his head.
“Nah, you ain’t loony. The rest of the world is.” George beamed at him.
Nicholas shook his head as he laughed. “If you say so.”
The four climbed into the truck and headed for the hospital. Nicholas’s gut tightened as the ominous building came into sight. He had a feeling this wasn’t going to be pretty. His father wasn’t one to just let things go.
Tank pulled into the emergency room parking lot and shut off the motor. Nicholas bit his bottom lip as he stared at the hospital. Jason climbed out and then placed his hands around Nicholas’s waist, helping him out of the truck. Tank and George got out and joined them.
Nicholas stared up at Jason as he patted him on the chest. “Really, I won’t take long,” Nicholas promised.
Jason captured his hand and held onto it. “You won’t be left unguarded.” He growled.
“Fine, let’s go.” Nicholas pulled his wolf along as he went inside, Tank and George following close behind.
As soon as they walked into the emergency department, Nicholas spotted his father heading toward them looking angry as hell. What else was new?
“What the hell is the meaning of this? Have you lost your mind leaving in the middle of a shift, and who the hell are these ruffians with you?” Dr. William Sheehan bellowed at his son as he pointed to the men standing beside Nicholas.
Nicholas rolled his eyes. Here we go. “Hi, father. I’m fine, how are you?”
“Don’t give me that. I want answers!” His father’s face turned a shade darker.
“Fine, here is my answer. I quit.” Nicholas waved at the three to follow him as he walked into the doctors lounge and crossed the room into the locker room. He emptied his locker, praying that dear old dad dropped it. Somehow Nicholas knew it wasn’t over yet.
The four exited the lounge, and Nicholas felt his temper rising as his father stormed over to them.
“You can’t do that! You won’t find work anywhere else, I promise you that, and what about your fiancée?” Nicholas watched as his father changed three kinds of red again. His anger vanished when Jason laid his hand on Nicholas’s lower back. That small show of support was enough to calm him down.
“You know, you’re going to have a heart attack if you don’t learn to control your temper.” He smirked at his father. He felt free for the first time in his life, and he wasn’t going to allow his father to ruin it for him.
“Why you…” His father raised his hand as his eyes narrowed into slits.
Jason leapt in front of Nicholas, blocking Nicholas’s father from striking his son. “I’ll kill you.” He threatened the man in front of him.
Nicholas stood there stunned. Never had his father ever raised a hand to him. What was wrong with him? So he wasn’t following the plan, big deal. Was it that important to him? Did his wishes outweigh Nicholas’s happiness?
His father sneered at Jason. “You turned my son’s head, didn’t you? Look at you.” His eyes raked Jason up and down in disgust. “You’re not fit to shine my shoes. Who cut your face, your mother, too stupid to go below the neck?”
“Father!” Nicholas was shocked beyond belief. Tank had to pull his wolf away from his father. “Never speak to me again.” Nicholas ground the words out between clenched teeth as he pointed his finger mere inches from his father’s face. He spun on his heels and walked away. The three men with him followed close behind. Nicholas was mortified at his father’s behavior.
“You’ll regret this!”
Nicholas spun around. He didn’t care who heard him as he shouted across the floor, “The only thing I regret is being your son.” He grabbed his mate’s hand, pulling him along as he got the hell out of there.
He couldn’t believe he had never seen his father’s true nature before. He stopped at the truck when he realized he’d forgotten something at his condo. “Crap.”
“What’s wrong?” Jason asked as he pulled Nicholas close.
“We have to go back to my place.”
Tank drove them there, pulling into the underground parking lot. All four exited and made their way to the elevator. When the doors slid open, Nicholas gasped. It was the man from the hospital, and he had someone else with him. Nicholas backed away when the man noticed him and hissed, his fangs gleaming in the elevator lights.
Chapter Seven
Jason smelled his mate’s fear before he saw the two men. He quickly pulled Nicholas behind him as his canines punched through his gums.
“Where is it, doc?” one of them demanded.
“Oh, hell,” Nicholas cried behind Jason as his mate’s fingers dug into his back.
Jason ignored the pain. There was no way he was going to let these two bloodsuckers get to his mate. He finally had someone who loved him, and he wasn’t going to lose that.
“Get into the truck.” He shouted behind him.
Nicholas grabbed George and ran for their truck.
“Ready?” Tank asked.
“Hell, yeah,” Jason growled as he rolled his shoulders and smiled at the two vampires. “Show me what your mama taught you, little girl.”
The first attacked at the exact moment Jason’s claws shot out of his fingers. He tore a gash across the vampire’s chest and punched him in the face at the same time. Jason’s moves were swift and precise. The undead man stumbled back but recovered quickly and came back at him.
Jason knew he wasn’t as strong as a Timber wolf. Grey wolves relied on numbers as their strength. The thing faked a right and swung around Jason’s left side at lightning speed. He jumped onto Jason’s back, sinking his fangs into Jason’s shoulder.
As stupid as the thought was, he didn’t want any more scars on him. Nicholas had to deal with enough of them. Jason ran backwards, ramming his back into the wall as hard as he could. He swung his head back into the vampire’s face.
Jason spun and slammed the undead creature into a cement pillar, effectively dislodging him.
Jason gulped air down before rising. It felt as though he wasn’t getting anywhere with this thing. Now he could see why Montana used weapons.
“Watch out,” Tank yelled.
Jason cursed. He had let his mind wander, and now the vampire he had been fighting was racing toward their truck. He was afraid to shift. They were in an underground parking lot in the city. If anyone saw them right now, it would look like a bunch of humans fighting. If he shifted, no telling what the humans would do.
He gave chase, his eyes darting up to see his mate sitting in the extended cab with a horrified look on his face.
Jason growled. No one was getting to his mate. The man had brought him out of the darkness to see a whole new world of passion and love, and this creature was not going to take that away.
Leaping into the air, Jason landed on the vamp’s back. He sunk his canines into the thing’s shoulder, tearing flesh in frenzy. His weight had knocked the thing to the concrete, his claws shredding into its back. He had to destroy it while he had the upper hand.
“Why won’t you die?” He heard Tank yell and then laugh. Jason didn’t think he would ever understand the warrior. He knew Tank used lines from movies, but having never watched them, they were lost on him.
Jason smelled his mate. His head shot up to see Nicholas and George sneaking out of the truck and coming at them with a tire iron. Now was not the time for his mate to try and help. The vampire must have spotted them, too. He renewed his efforts to free himself, hissing and bucking to get the weight off of him.
“Get back in the truck,” Jason yelled to his mate.
“Fuck, you look hot.” Nicholas smiled. What was wrong with his mate? He knew his canines were extended and must be a bloody mess. His eyes had shifted to crimson, and his claws were razor sharp and protruding…but hot?
“Now,” he growled.
“Fine. Remind me to try and help you again.” Nicholas sniffed before opening the truck door and climbing back in. Maybe his mate did need that CAT scan. He had explained to Jason what it was, and it seemed the right thing for his insane mate.
“I’m done playing with you,” Jason snapped at the body underneath him. With all of his strength, he separated flesh from bone and tore the vampire’s throat out. He wasn’t quite sure how to kill someone who was already dead, but this method seemed effective enough. The thing wasn’t moving.
“No, Jas. Use your claws and tear his heart out,” Tank yelled at him from a few cars down. Jason nodded, turned the thing over, and plunged his claws in, hoping his delicate mate wasn’t watching such a savage display.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” he heard his mate comment. Guess the guy was watching.
“What the hell do I do with it?” Jason asked as he held the muscle in his hand.
“I don’t know, keep it as a trophy,” Tank teased him.
“Use it as a paperweight,” his mate chimed in.
Jason shook his head and dropped it onto the man’s unmoving body. Now all he needed was a shower.
“Fuck.”
Jason quickly turned at Tank’s outburst, thinking more vampires had come. His eyes followed where Tank was pointing. There were security cameras throughout the garage, recording everything that had just taken place.
“Now what?” Jason asked as he got to his feet and looked around to see if anyone was coming.
“Let’s go see who was watching us.” Tank tossed aside the undead body as he walked toward them.
Jason ran to the truck, wiping his hands clean as best he could on his shirt before grabbing his mate gently by his waist and lowering him. “I can’t leave you here. You’ll have to come with us.”
“And I’m chopped liver?” George snipped.
Jason shook his head. Humans. “Come, George.”
“I ain’t a dog.” George ignored Jason’s hand and climbed out on the other side.
They took the elevator to the security office where Nicholas had directed them. The door handle was bent, and the door was slightly ajar. This wasn’t good. “Stay behind me,” Jason said to his mate.
“Okay.” Nicholas grabbed the back of his shirt. Jason could feel his fingers trembling. He reached behind him and gave a gentle squeeze to his mate’s wrist.
“I’m okay.” Nicholas rubbed his face into Jason’s back. He had never seen anyone as affectionate as his mate before. The guy thrived on touching him.
The four walked into the security office, expecting to engage in another fight. Jason braced himself to defend what was his, but no one was there.
“Aw, man.” Tank walked over and knelt by the desk. A human male was dead on the floor, his skin torn away at his throat.
Tank rose, blew out a breath, and pulled his cell phone out. He entered a sequence of numbers then placed it at his ear. “Maverick, we need Nero.”
Nicholas leaned against the wall, watching the smaller man do his thing. How he typed with those latex gloves on was anyone’s guess. Nero had assured everyone that he could make it all go away. Those weren’t his exact words, but Nicholas got the gist of it, along with a lot of stuttering and “It’s…complicated” thrown in there.
His hand was shaking as he lifted it and ran it through his hair. Jason walked away from the group and leaned into him.
“Are you okay?”
Nicholas gave him a nervous laugh. “Sure. Just dealing with lions and tigers and bears, oh my.”
“I don’t understand.” Jason cupped his face, tilting it back to look into his eyes as his thumbs caressed his cheekbones. Why was it every time the wolf did that he became lost in those chocolate brown eyes?
“Nothing. I just had no idea so many otherworldly creatures existed and were around me.” The image of his mate at his most savage played through his mind. He wasn’t lying when he said Jason was hot. But what he didn’t say was that it scared the hell out of him, too. Not that he thought his mate would harm him. It was just that he hadn’t expected it.
Sure he saw him change into a wolf in front of his eyes, but what he saw today was totally different. More primal.
“I’ll get you home. What did we come back here for?” Jason asked gently.
“I don’t honestly remember now.” He was more focused on the knowledge that the warriors were down in the garage disposing of the bodies and cleaning up the blood. More focused on Nero wiping away all records of it ever taking place.
It didn’t matter if he wanted to walk away from this sci-fi adventure or not, he couldn’t. The thought of leaving his wolf was too unbearable. He was in it for the long haul, a thousand years according to Tank, so he’d better get used to this.
Nicholas smiled up at Jason. “I’m fine. I was just shocked.”
“You know I would never let anyone or anything hurt you, right?”
“I know.” And he did. Jason had turned into a creature from hell to defend him, and Nicholas knew without a doubt that Jason would die to keep him safe. If that didn’t say I love you, then nothing would.
“I’m sorry about your father, too.”
“I’m sorry.” Jason ran his fingertips down Nicholas’s cheek. The only reason his mate’s father was still alive was because, well, he was his father. If anyone talked to his mate like that again, he would kill them.
And if another vampire threatened what was his, then Jason would find the coven they slept in and burn it to the ground.
They lay in bed, Jason holding his mate close, his hands running over such a smooth and flawless back.
He had asked about the reference to the lions and such. His mate was patient with him, took his time to explain human things without making Jason feel dimwitted. He loved his
doctor so much.
Nicholas turned in Jason’s arms. “Show me.”
Jason was jolted from his thoughts as his mate’s hazel eyes locked onto him. “What, mate?”
“You, your scars.” Nicholas watched him intently. Pure panic seized Jason at the thought of his mate seeing him as he truly was. “Please.”
He swallowed around the lump of fear that had formed in his throat. “Why?”
Jason cursed himself for the tremor in his voice. Reaching down, his mate pulled his shirt up an inch, exposing years of abuse and pain.
Nicholas leaned forward and kissed the few inches of skin that became exposed. He ran his tongue along the hair running from his navel to the waistband of his sleeping pants. Nicholas lifted his shirt a little higher, kissing the first scar revealed. He trembled as he watched in horror.
Jason reached down and grabbed his shirt, trying to push it back down. Nicholas couldn’t see this. His mate would hate him and look at him with pitying eyes. Jason couldn’t handle pity. Not now, not ever from this gorgeous man. He was an ugly duckling and would always be one. Why couldn’t his mate accept him for what he was and leave it alone?
Nicholas rubbed the back of Jason’s hands. He glanced up at Jason and then Jason pulled his own shirt up with the help of his mate’s hands. They were guiding his, showing what had been done to him for his refusal to follow orders. His hands shook as Nicholas kissed his abdomen. Those kisses seemed to heat his skin wherever Nicholas’s lips touched.
His shirt inched up some more, Nicholas kissing the ugliest scar of them all. It ran from his left nipple and curved around to his right hip. A wet tongue trailed back down as his mate caressed his hand. Soon, Jason’s whole body shook as his mate pulled his shirt over his head.
“Please, don’t,” Jason begged softly.
“Shh, you’re beautiful.” Nicholas’s tongue sucked at his scared nipple, taking it into his mouth.
“No, I’m an ugly duckling.” Jason quickly wiped away the tear that ran down the side of his face before his mate could see it.
“I thought you were my wolf,” Nicholas teased as his hands spanned across Jason’s chest. Jason watched him closely. There was no look of disgust, no pity filling his eyes, but what he did see was a look of unadulterated lust. Jason closed his eyes. It was too much, just too damn much.